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Topic: Freetext Usage Discussion (Read 6762 times)

This thread is for discussing the freetexts themselves - because we have some, and we want more, and of some we want less or none at all. And there is of course a little disagreement about which fall where.

Freetexts are supposed to link our subs in a different, looser way than the existing categories, and go beyond direct linking. We need something not specific to a given submission, pointing to others (sometimes in unexpected ways).

Before I step into the trap of a tiresome discussion on its exact definition and all implications, let me put down one rule for them:

Is there any _real_ chance there will be more submissions linked to this freetext? If not, don't use it.

This simple rule would have eliminated 3/4 of the freetexts that were, or will be yet deleted.

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Now the listing of a few freetexts types that seem to have success so far:

Settings - most favoured, and most handy. Enough said!

"Categories" - for alternative groupings of subs. Sometimes they are like sub-subcategories (Items/Magical -> Generic Magical Items; Lifeform/Flora -> fungus) for things of interest. Other times, they easily span several categories (like Spirits, Drugs, Poison, etc). These need to be expanded for more fun.

Jobs - Mercenary, necromancer, and much more. Useful mainly if all or most submissions of this type are linked to it. There is some discussion around them which we really need and which not.

Setting Building Blocks - these say basically "If you use one in your game, you may want to take a look at the rest, and take more, or the whole package!" Good for integrating a whole group of subs (Corvus, Clan Ironspirit, Shard of the Storm, etc), with plenty of details.

- consider a 'Brand Item' freetext, for things that would be known and easily recognized in a game world(like those interlocking shields, or those many +1 swords, Rydlin Steel items (#3043+#3064), 4126, etc.)

Yes, what Manfred said is sooo true. It should be the general guideline for freetext. I am sure we are goig to refine this thread into a FAQ guideline for them.

A bold rule and a first one of freetextKeep them as simple and as generic as possibleThis improves their usefulness and makes it easier for similar things to link up.

Check out the other freetexts being used to see if this one is appropriateThis is a FAQ rules I ever saw one.

A last bold rule I would like to add, right after Manfred's: If the submissions are all going to be linked by a Codex or Strolen subcategory, don't bother with same codex/ category free-text

Those mechanisms organize the submissions and make them easy to find. We could remove some of the legacy codices like neighborhoods someday for the same reason.

I would still like to put the subtype categories in the freetext cloud with a locked size, but that is just me. It would assist us in finding certain things, for those locked to the free-text cloud as their primary search engine.

Add 'Legend' to all of the latest Quest's submissions, and more?Nah. Legends is the category they are in.

- Expand or rename the Starting Adventures freetext, or remove it completely?See my additional bold rule for my opinion on that subject.